Opinion

The second time was not a charm for Javier Vazquez as a New York Yankee

After almost winning the NL Cy Young in 2009, Vazquez bravely returned to the Bronx in 2010. He had high hopes to end the Yankee fans smear campaign, which dated back to the 2004 season.

Just in case you were subconsciously blocking out 2004 (trust me I do), it was the year the Boston Red Sox finally beat the Yankees in the ALCS. The Yankees blew the series after being up 3-0 in games, with three outs to sweeping the series.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the Rockies acquiring outfielder Justin Upton from Arizona in return for more than the 22-year-old’s worth in talent.

The trade talks probably went no further than D'Backs GM Kevin Towers asking Colorado’s front office for half a lineup's worth of minor league All-Stars, followed by the click of the phone being hung up. 

Today's baseball players simply have no idea the leverage and position they hold in negotiations thanks to sacrifices of some of the game's greatest players such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays.

Before Curt Flood and the reserve clause, players either played or sat out.

Ownership held all the cards and ownership wasn't afraid to clench its teeth when it came to salary negotiations with some of the game's most loved and important icons.

In the digital age, rumors fly much quicker than they used to.  It literally takes only seconds to post a rumor online and create a huge buzz over basically nothing.  The same applies to Phillies free-agent  right fielder, Jayson Werth.  Early this morning, a talk-show radio host mentioned that the Phillies had offered Werth a contract and that it was good enough for him to possibly sign.  Should you give credence to this rumor?  The simple answer is "No."

The San Francisco Giants are looking to rebuild the left side of their infield after winning the world series with a combo of Edgar Renteria at short and Juan Uribe at third base.

The New York Yankees are one of the most decorated and historic franchises in sports.

Names like Mickey Mantel, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra and the Babe are just a handful of the historic names to don pinstripes.

“Winning Championships” is the Yankees motto. Baseball is a team sport, which makes individual accomplishments merely an added bonus. Awards for anything other than a World Series will not absolve a season’s failure.

Dear Doug,

Courtesy of Yankees 'n More

I've always been a thankful Cleveland Indians fan.  Perhaps the feeling is based in being a fan of this baseball team in the dreadful 1970s.  Not a single Tribe team during between 1970 and 1970 finished above fourth place in A.L. East, and only two teams finished above .500.

MLB Rumors: 10 Reasons Derek Jeter Will Get His Way With Yankees

Derek Jeter is a free agent for the first time in his storied MLB career, and unless something changes, it seems like he will remain a free agent for a while.

Jeter is said to be seeking 4-6 years and $22-25 million a year. Steep numbers for someone who has showed a lot of decline over the past year.

However, this isn't a typical free agent. For Jeter to play anywhere but New York would be an indictment of the era that we live in, and both Jeter and the Yankees want to prevent that.